1990: Scott Davis got his putter going in the final round and shot a four-under-par 68 at Bridgeport Country Club to capture his second West Virginia Open title. Davis overcame a four-stroke deficit and edged Mike White by a single stroke. Davis got better every round with 75, 72 and 68 for a 215 total while White matched par 72 in every round for a 216 score to finish second for the second straight year. “”I’m flabbergasted, I really am,” Davis said. “I’ve been playing every year since I won it in ’82 and have not done too well. It’s just really good to get another Open win.” Davis struggled with his putter early with three three-putts in the first round and two three-putts and a four-putt in the second round. “Today I played without a three-putt, I could have had a real good score this week because I hit the ball real well ,” Davis said after the final round. Defending champion Todd Satterfield, now a pro, led the first round with a 71 and ended up fourth at 218. Cleve Coldwater shot the week’s best round, a six-under 66 with 11 birdies, including the final four holes. He led by a stroke after the second round but finished in a tie for fifth at 219. Chris Ward was the low amateur at 217 and finished third. Jon Stricker had a finishing 68 for 220. Leaders by rounds: first, Satterfield 71, by one; second, Coldwater 143, by one.
Scott Davis, Hurricane 75-72-68–215
Mike White, Lochgelly 72-72-72–216
a-Chris Ward, Beaver 73-72-72–217
Todd Satterfield, Bluefield 71-75-72–218
Dick Wedzik, Bridgeport 76-70-73–219
Cleve Coldwater, Charleston 77-66-76–219
Jon Stricker, Charleston 77-75-68–220
a-Scott Gilmore, Vienna 76-71-73–220
Matt Cooke, Parkersburg 74-72-75–221
Ty Roush, Mason 78-72-72–222
a-Jim Fankhauser, Vienna 77-70-75–222
Brad Westfall, Kingwood 72-72-78–222
1991: After finishing second the last two years, Mike White moved up to first this time with a one-stroke victory at Moundsville Country Club. White began the final round four strokes back but shot a 69 to finish with a score of even-par 210. Charleston pro Bob Bird also carded a final 69 to finish second at 211. Brian Meade of Chapmanville, the son of two-time champion Linden Meade, opened the tournament with a five-birdie round of 66 for a four-stroke lead and a second-round 71 kept him two strokes in front. But Meade settled for a 75 on the last day to finish third at 212. White, who lives in Lochgelly near Oak Hill, earned $1,400 and became a two-time Open champion, having won in 1980. He felt a key to his victory was a birdie on the 395-yard 17th hole. “”I just kept plugging along out there. That’s the way I play. I don’t ever play to finish second. I came up here to win,” White said. Defending champion Scott Davis fired a 67 in the second round and was just two shots off the pace until a final 75 left him tied for fifth at 214. Harold Payne posted a 68 in the second round and ended up as the low amateur at 215. Hill Herrick of The Greenbrier aced the 203-yard 14th hole in the second round. Leaders by rounds: first, Meade 66, by four; second, Meade 137, by two.
Mike White, Lochgelly 70-71-69–210
Bob Bird, Charleston 71-71-69–211
Brian Meade, Chapmanville 66-71-75–212
Matt Cooke, Parkersburg 73-71-69–213
Barry Evans, Charleston 73-72-69–214
Dick Wedzik, Bridgeport 71-70-73–214
Scott Davis, Hurricane 72-67-75–214
a-Harold Payne, Hurricane 73-68-74–215
a-Mike Good, Charleston 72-73-71–216
Greg Meade, Logan 72-70-74–216
Brad Westfall, Kingwood 70-72-74–216
Ty Roush, Mason 74-70-72–216
1992: Brad Westfall romped to an eight-stroke victory in the 59th West Virginia Open at the Pines Country Club in Morgantown. Westfall opened with a 68 to trail by one but an even-par 71 in the second round gave him a five-shot lead. He kept up the pressure with a final 70 for a 209 score. Fairmont’s Eric Shaffer, the State Amateur champion and a Marshall University golfer, finished second with a 217 total. Shaffer tied the course record with 64 in a practice round. Shaffer cut Westfall’s lead to four strokes in the final round but Westfall regained his momentum when he hit a 310-yard drive on the long 10th hole and then a short iron to 10 feet of the cup for a birdie. “”I wanted to win this one for Preston Country Club. I owed them that,” said Westfall, the pro at Preston. “”The crowd was great. I felt like I was playing at home. I must have brought half of Preston County with me.” Eric Kirsch, a Steubenville, Ohio, resident who’s a member at Williams Country Club in Weirton, took the first round lead with a 67 and ended up tied for third at 218. Ty Roush had a closing 69 for 218. Scott Davis had an up-and-down tournament with 70, 80 and 69 rounds for 219. Ron Millione of Morgantown used a four-iron to ace the 170-yard 12th hole in the first round. A record field of 156 entered. Leaders by rounds: first, Kirsch 67, by one; second, Westfall 139, by five.
Brad Westfall, Kingwood 68-71-70–209
a-Eric Shaffer, Fairmont 73-71-73–217
Ty Roush, Mason 74-75-69–218
a-Eric Kirsch, Steubenville, Ohio 67-78-73–218
Scott Davis, Hurricane 70-80-69–219
Bill Shriver, Gauley Bridge 71-77-71–219
Barry Evans, Charleston 73-74-72–219
a-C.J. Pagliaro, Jr., Fairmont 76-74-71–221
a-Brad Greenstein, Huntington 73-75-73–221
a-Mike Good, Charleston 70-77-74–221
Hill Herrick, White Sulphur Springs 73-75-73–221
a-Jack Forbes, Morgantown 72-74-75–221
1993: Harold Payne scored his fourth victory in the West Virginia Open and pulled off his third sweep of the state’s top two golf tournaments. Payne finished nine strokes under par in shooting a 207 score for 54 holes at Pipestem State Park. He finished two strokes in front of defending champion Brad Westfall, who had a 209 total and earned the low pro prize. Payne won his fifth State Amateur title earlier in the year. He accomplished the same Amateur-Open sweep in 1986 and 1987, with his other Open triumph coming in 1988. “”It’s a special feeling to win the Amateur, but to win when you have pros playing is really nice. To win them both in the same year is a tremendous feeling,” Payne said. He joined Clem Wiechman as a four-time Open champion, and the only golfer to win more is Sam Snead with 17 titles. Payne shot a first round 69 to trail co-leaders Ty Roush and Barry Evans by two strokes. Roush’s round included eight straight one-putt greens. Payne fired a four-under-par 68, which included six birdies, in the second round to lead by a stroke over Evans. Payne kept his lead with a final round 70. Westfall had a 69 to take second place while Roush finished third at 211 and Evans was fourth at 212. Leaders by rounds: first, Evans and Roush 67s; second, Payne 137, by one.
a-Harold Payne, Hurricane 69-68-70–207
Brad Westfall, Kingwood 73-67-69–209
Ty Roush, Mason 67-72-72–211
Barry Evans, Charleston 67-71-74–212
Dan Poling, Grafton 68-72-74–214
Terry Smith, Paden City 71-69-74–214
a-Mike Good, Charleston 71-74-71–216
Craig Lindsey, Charleston 75-69-72–216
Bill Robertson, Pipestem 73-71-72–216
David Lawrence, Poca 72-74-72–218
a-Evans Harbour, Hurricane 70-75-73–218
1994: Brad Westfall defeated Scott Davis on the second playoff hole to capture the title in the $11,000 West Virginia Open on Oglebay Park’s Speidel course in Wheeling. Both finished with one-under-par 141 totals for 36 holes. The first day’s round of the scheduled 54-hole tournament was rained out. Westfall shot a sparkling 68 in the final round to force the playoff with Davis, who had a 73. On the first playoff hole, Westfall two-putted from 25 feet for a par while Davis hit a fine recovery shot out of the rough and over a trap to within inches of the cup to save his par. The second playoff hole found Davis with a 30-foot putt and Westfall with a 18-footer for birdie. Davis’ putt broke just before the hole and trickled to the right. Westfall then drained his downhill putt for the victory. “”I was just trying to hit it hard enough to give it a chance to go in,” said Westfall, who used a long putter. Davis commented, “”That was a great shot he made to win.” It was the second Open victory for Westfall who went first-second-first the past three years. Westfall earned $2,200 and Davis got $1,650. Finishing two strokes behind them was amateur Brad Greenstein, a Marshall University golfer. Greenstein shot a 68 to share the first round lead. Davis fired a course record 66 in the pro-am. Leaders by rounds: first, Greenstein, Davis and Jay Jamieson 68s.
Brad Westfall, Kingwood 73-68–141
Scott Davis, Hurricane 68-73–141
a-Brad Greenstein, Huntington 68-75–143
Greg Meade, Logan 71-73–144
Jay Jamieson, Bridgeport 68-76–144
Barney Thompson, Barboursville 73-72–145
a-Harold Payne, Hurricane 72-73–145
Brian Meade, Chapmanville 74-72–146
Dan Poling, Grafton 73-73–146
a-Evans Harbour, Hurricane 72-75–147
a-Kirk Nolte, Wheeling 71-76–147
a-Steve Fox, Huntington 71-76–147
1995: Long-hitting Scott Davis overpowered the 6,982-yard Canaan Valley Resort course with several drives more than 300 yards while capturing his third West Virginia Open title. Davis led every day with rounds of 66, 69 and 69 for a 204 total — 12 under par. He finished five strokes in front of runnerup Greg Meade. Davis received a first place check of $1,200. “”It’s hard to win leading all the way because there’s more pressure on you. But I’d rather be out front. I was apprehensive today until I got started and my golf swing held up. Then I relaxed,” Davis said after his victory. He said the long Canaan Valley course suited his game and it showed. He made an eagle and six birdies and was five under par on the par-five holes in his opening round. Davis added nine more birdies in his next two rounds. Play on the final day was interrupted twice by lightning and rain. Meade had three steady rounds of 69, 70 and 70 in finishing second. Michael Swiger finished third at 210 and received $500 in merchandise as the low amateur. Joel Davis shot a 68 in the second round and Steve Hussey had a 69 with eight birdies in the third round. Beckley pro Phil Wiechman aced the 214-yard fourth hole with a three-iron in the first round. Leaders by rounds: first, Scott Davis 66, by two; second, Scott Davis 135, by three.
Scott Davis, Hurricane 66-69-69–204
Greg Meade, Logan 69-70-70–209
a-Michael Swiger, Weirton 70-69-71–210
Barney Thompson, Barboursville 68-71-73–212
Ty Roush, Mason 69-70-73–212
a-Steve Hussey, Parkersburg 71-72-69–212
a-Joel Davis, Oak Hill 70-68-75–213
a-John Duty Jr., Hurricane 70-70-73–213
a-Mike Meade, Bluefield 70-70-74–214
a-Evans Harbour, Hurricane 69-74-71–214
Brian Meade, Chapmanville 69-75-70–214
Steve Superick, Fairmont 73-71-70–214
1996: In a battle of veteran pros, Barney Thompson defeated John Ross on the first hole of a playoff at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club in Hurricane to win his third Open title. Both ended the 54-hole tournament with 209 scores after missing key putts on the final hole. Ross lipped out a 15-footer for a possible winning birdie while Thompson was short with his approach, chipped to 10 feet and missed the par-saving putt. In the playoff on the 420-yard ninth hole, Ross skied his tee shot and his three-wood second shot landed on a hillside right of the green. He pitched well past the hole and missed the putt, making a bogey. Meanwhile, Thompson put his six-iron second shot on the back fringe and two-putted for a winning par. Thompson won $3,000 and Ross got $2,100 out of the record purse of $26,000. “”It’s always nice to win, anywhere. To win in front of friends is special. It was hard on me. You don’t want to let anyone down,” Thompson said. Brent Johnson shot a 65 in the second round to take a two-stroke lead but a final 74 left him two shots back at 211. Harold Payne finished fifth at 213 and received a $500 gift certificate as low amateur. Larry Haddad of Charleston aced the 199-yard sixth hole with a three-iron. Pro Davey Lawrence and amateur Sam O’Dell both shot 67 rounds. Leaders by rounds: first, Thompson 66, by two; second, Johnson 137, by two.
Barney Thompson, Barboursville 66-73-70–209
John Ross, Freeman 68-72-69–209
Brent Johnson, Weirton 72-65-74–211
Todd Westfall, Kingwood 72-70-70–212
a-Harold Payne, Hurricane 71-72-70–213
Barry Evans, Charleston 72-68-75–215
a-Evans Harbour, Hurricane 71-68-77–216
John McNaney (hometown not listed) 71-70-76–217
Brian Meade, Chapmanville 69-74-74–217
a-Mike Meade, Bluefield 68-72-77–217
1997: It took an extra day but touring pro John Ross finally won the rain-delayed West Virginia Open at the Glade Springs Resort in Daniels. Ross posted a 211 total for 54 holes and finished three strokes in front of Scott Davis and Gary Blake. Play was suspended during the third round due to rain and lightning with 27 players still on the course and Ross holding a two-stroke lead with six holes left to play. After a 2 1/2-hour delay, the tournament committee ruled that the course was unplayable and decided to resume play the next day. Ross sank two birdie putts to maintain his lead in the final six holes the next morning. Ross earned $4,800 for his victory plus $625 for being low pro in the pro-am. “”It feels good to have another shot at it and pull it off this time,” said Ross, who lost in a playoff in 1996. Ross said that having his name engraved on the Open trophy alongside the names of SamSnead and other past champions was a real honor. “”It’s something that I’ll cherish,” he said. Davis and Blake both earned $2,750 for their second place tie. Sam O’Dell shot a final round 68 to tie Pat Carter at 215 for low amateur. O’Dell, 19, sank a 10-foot putt on the first playoff hole to earn the low amateur prize of a $500 gift certificate. Barney Thompson shot the low round of 67 and finished at 222. Leaders by rounds: Davis 70, by one; second, Ross, Blake and Barry Evans 140s.
John Ross, Freeman 71-69-71–211
Scott Davis, Hurricane 70-72-72–214
Gary Blake, Mineral Wells 72-68-74–214
a-Sam O’Dell, Hurricane 76-71-68–215
a-Pat Carter, Huntington 75-68-72–215
Ty Roush, Mason 76-72-69–217
Barry Evans, Charleston 72-68-77–217
Ken Guilford, Sissonville 73-73-73–219
a-Jamie Conrad, Fayetteville 74-69-77–220
a-Steve Fox, Huntington 73-71-76–220
Brent Johnson, Weirton 72-72-76–220
a-Michael Veres, Chapmanville 73-72-75–220
a-Alan Stealey, Clarksburg 72-74-74–220
1998: Host pro Scott Davis staged a final round charge before his friends and members at Edgewood Country Club near Sissonville to capture his fourth Open title. Davis trailed by four strokes beginning the round but shot a five-under-par 67 and won by five shots with a 209 total. He was quick to take advantage after amateur Pat Carter lost his lead by knocking a ball into a pond on the fifth hole for a double bogey. Davis seized command with birdies on the eighth and ninth holes and widened his lead with three more birdies on the back nine. “”I’m a West Virginia boy and winning the State Open for the fourth time thrills me, especially at my home club. I can’t believe I did it. I believe I tied Harold Payne with four Open wins and that’s a neat thing for me,” Davis said, referring to his former Marshall teammate. Davis won $5,000 out of a total purse of $25,000. John Ross birdied the last hole to finish second at 214. Carter made eight birdies while shooting a 66 in the second round for a three-stroke lead but a final 77 left him tied for third with Brad Westfall at 215. Michael Veres and Jamie Whitt both had 66 rounds. A record field of 165 entered the Open. Edgewood assistant Ken Guilford fired a 66 to win the pro-am. Veres bested Carter on the final hole to win the first Open shootout. Leaders by rounds: first, Gary Blake and Todd Westfall 70s; second, Carter 138, by three.
Scott Davis, Hurricane 71-71-67–209
John Ross, Freeman 72-69-73–214
Brad Westfall, Morgantown 72-70-73–215
a-Pat Carter, Huntington 72-66-77–215
Jonathan Clark, South Charleston 75-68-74–217
Barry Evans, Charleston 77-69-72–218
a-Zach Wood, Moundsville 73-74-72–219
David Lawrence, Nitro 73-73-73–219
a-Kirk Satterfield, Bluefield 75-71-73–219
Jamie Whitt, Huntington 79-66-74–219
Todd Westfall, Gauley Bridge 70-72-77–219
1999: Once he recovered from an 800-mile trip, John Ross took charge of the Open at Guyan Golf and Country Club in Huntington. A tired Ross had 72 in the first round but with some much-needed rest shot 68 and 67 in the final two rounds for a 207 total — six under par. His seven-stroke victory give him his second Open title and a $5,000 check. Ross won a TearDrop Tour event worth $35,000 in Decatur, Ala., the Sunday before the Open. He drove all night to Huntington to compete in the Open Monday pro-am and then drove to his home in Mercer County to pick up his wife before returning on Tuesday. Ross took a three-stroke lead into the final round but felt pressure from Guyan assistant Jonathan Clark and amateur Pat Carter. Ross said his key shot was a downhill 30-foot birdie putt on the seventh hole. “”I honestly hit that putt hard enough to go six or seven feet, and I watched it roll and roll and roll until it disappeared,” Ross said. That touched off a streak in which Ross birdied five of eight holes to pull away. Clark shot a 71 to finish second at 214 while Carter had a 72 for third place at 216 and the low amateur prize. Burke Spensky, 17, tied for fourth at 217. Bud Tate of Vienna spent his honeymoon playing golf and did well with a 226 score. Davey Lawrence beat Carter on the last hole to win the Open shootout. Leaders by rounds: first, Scott Davis 70, by one; second, Ross 140, by three.
John Ross, Freeman 72-68-67–207
Jonathan Clark, South Charleston 74-69-71–214
a-Pat Carter, Huntington 71-73-72–216
Mike Good, Charleston 73-73-71–217
a-Burke Spensky, Huntington 73-71-73–217
a-Sam O’Dell, Hurricane 72-72-76–220
Brad Westfall, Morgantown 75-72-73–220
Todd Westfall, Hurricane 75-74-71–220
Scott Davis, Hurricane 70-75-76–221
Barry Evans, Charleston 72-75-74–221
a-Brad Greenstein, Huntington 72-74-75–221
Dave Wentz, Cross Lanes \74-73-74–221